Abundance and Characteristics of Fibrous Microplastics and Microfibers Isolated in <i>Mullus barbatus</i> from the Adriatic Sea—Preliminary Investigation
Despite the wide distribution of textile microfibers in the marine environment, there is still limited knowledge on microfiber ingestion in fish species intended for human consumption, mostly due to analytical issues. The present study aims to assess the occurrence of microfibers in red mullet (<...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Microplastics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8929/2/4/30 |
| _version_ | 1827574058379640832 |
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| author | Serena Santonicola Michela Volgare Mariacristina Cocca Giampaolo Colavita |
| author_facet | Serena Santonicola Michela Volgare Mariacristina Cocca Giampaolo Colavita |
| author_sort | Serena Santonicola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite the wide distribution of textile microfibers in the marine environment, there is still limited knowledge on microfiber ingestion in fish species intended for human consumption, mostly due to analytical issues. The present study aims to assess the occurrence of microfibers in red mullet (<i>Mullus barbatus</i>) samples collected from the Italian waters of the central Adriatic Sea. <i>M. barbatus</i> is a bottom fish that lives in contact with sediment and therefore was proposed as a sentinel species for the monitoring plastic pollution. A visual approach based on the evaluation of specific microfiber surface morphology was applied for the identification of particles of different origins. The preliminary findings showed the presence of microfibers in 80% of red mullet samples with a mean of 5.95 microfibers/individual. The majority (>80%) of the isolated microfibers were of natural/artificial origin, while the dominant colors were blue and black. The obtained results confirmed that benthic fish species are susceptible to microfiber ingestion and indicate the high availability of these particles in the Adriatic basin. Considering the spectroscopic drawbacks in microfiber analyses and the need to improve the current knowledge on the rate of contamination of fishery products, the visual approach could be a feasible, easy, and accessible method in the study of microfiber pollution, and the assessment of consumer health risks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:31:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f31eddbc9ea64e34bd87d956ba89c07e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-8929 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:31:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microplastics |
| spelling | doaj.art-f31eddbc9ea64e34bd87d956ba89c07e2023-12-22T14:26:24ZengMDPI AGMicroplastics2673-89292023-12-012441142110.3390/microplastics2040030Abundance and Characteristics of Fibrous Microplastics and Microfibers Isolated in <i>Mullus barbatus</i> from the Adriatic Sea—Preliminary InvestigationSerena Santonicola0Michela Volgare1Mariacristina Cocca2Giampaolo Colavita3Department of Medicine and Health Sciences “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Industrial Production, University of Naples Federico II, P. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, ItalyInstitute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Health Sciences “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDespite the wide distribution of textile microfibers in the marine environment, there is still limited knowledge on microfiber ingestion in fish species intended for human consumption, mostly due to analytical issues. The present study aims to assess the occurrence of microfibers in red mullet (<i>Mullus barbatus</i>) samples collected from the Italian waters of the central Adriatic Sea. <i>M. barbatus</i> is a bottom fish that lives in contact with sediment and therefore was proposed as a sentinel species for the monitoring plastic pollution. A visual approach based on the evaluation of specific microfiber surface morphology was applied for the identification of particles of different origins. The preliminary findings showed the presence of microfibers in 80% of red mullet samples with a mean of 5.95 microfibers/individual. The majority (>80%) of the isolated microfibers were of natural/artificial origin, while the dominant colors were blue and black. The obtained results confirmed that benthic fish species are susceptible to microfiber ingestion and indicate the high availability of these particles in the Adriatic basin. Considering the spectroscopic drawbacks in microfiber analyses and the need to improve the current knowledge on the rate of contamination of fishery products, the visual approach could be a feasible, easy, and accessible method in the study of microfiber pollution, and the assessment of consumer health risks.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8929/2/4/30textiles microfibersmorphological analysescommercial fishAdriatic Sea |
| spellingShingle | Serena Santonicola Michela Volgare Mariacristina Cocca Giampaolo Colavita Abundance and Characteristics of Fibrous Microplastics and Microfibers Isolated in <i>Mullus barbatus</i> from the Adriatic Sea—Preliminary Investigation Microplastics textiles microfibers morphological analyses commercial fish Adriatic Sea |
| title | Abundance and Characteristics of Fibrous Microplastics and Microfibers Isolated in <i>Mullus barbatus</i> from the Adriatic Sea—Preliminary Investigation |
| title_full | Abundance and Characteristics of Fibrous Microplastics and Microfibers Isolated in <i>Mullus barbatus</i> from the Adriatic Sea—Preliminary Investigation |
| title_fullStr | Abundance and Characteristics of Fibrous Microplastics and Microfibers Isolated in <i>Mullus barbatus</i> from the Adriatic Sea—Preliminary Investigation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Abundance and Characteristics of Fibrous Microplastics and Microfibers Isolated in <i>Mullus barbatus</i> from the Adriatic Sea—Preliminary Investigation |
| title_short | Abundance and Characteristics of Fibrous Microplastics and Microfibers Isolated in <i>Mullus barbatus</i> from the Adriatic Sea—Preliminary Investigation |
| title_sort | abundance and characteristics of fibrous microplastics and microfibers isolated in i mullus barbatus i from the adriatic sea preliminary investigation |
| topic | textiles microfibers morphological analyses commercial fish Adriatic Sea |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8929/2/4/30 |
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